December Baby
by CileSuns92
Summary: A Christmas two-shot. Set in Season 6, an AU version of Holidaze, where Derek takes Meredith to New York to spend the holidays with his family, and they both find a welcomed surprise waiting for them.
1. Part 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or Christmas. I do have a tree back home and a nativity scene. And a lot of imagination**_**.**

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**This is AU guys, because I couldn't bring myself to overlap the Grey's universe with the Storm universe and a possible new story universe. I thought about having a Hope chapter with a Christmas undertone, but it's still September there, just like it's summer in 29 Years. As usual my timing is horrible. This is what you get then. Also, I divided this in two parts, the first one from Derek's POV, the second from Meredith's. I hope you won't be disappointed!**

**This is an alternate version of Holidaze, basically. Just imagine Meredith and Derek, season 6, Christmastime. That's all you need to know. **

**The title is from Ingrid Michaelson's song December Baby. Look it up!**

**Enjoy!**

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**December Baby**

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**Part 1**

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"See, the plane didn't crash."

A grunt comes from the seat beside Derek's as he shift gears and pulls into the freeway. He smirks widely.

"Of course the plane didn't crash, plane crashes don't happen every day! You focus on driving instead of teasing me, I don't want to be the next MVA admitted to Mount Sinai."

Derek chuckles as he turns to look at the serious face of his wife. Meredith looks perfect with her red sweater and jeans, her arms folded on her chest and a pout on her face. She has her hair braided, though there are a few wisps framing her face, untamed. Wisps that she keeps fidgeting with, when her fingers are not busy with her watch.

"We're not going to end up in the hospital. Maybe for a food hangover on Boxing Day, but not tonight." He can't wipe the smile off his face, he really can't. He's taking his wife home. His wife. Home.

"Oh God, how much is your mother going to cook, exactly?" Meredith looks almost horrified at the thought.

"Let's say she made good use of the self-made cookbook her Italian neighbor gave her last Christmas."

"Derek, -"

"Meredith, you love food. And my mother loves you."

She grunts again, muttering something that sounds a lot like: "Says the perfect son." Yep, the smirk is still on his lips.

"We're not even married for them!" she scoffs, her eyes widening, her hands flailing.

"We are. My mother and sisters understand the post-it."

Meredith shakes her head, and he can't help but smile at her. She lets out a forced smile, but relaxes when he rests his hand on her knee and rubs a few circles.

He drives through roads that are still familiar, spotting some sights he clearly remembers, while other things have radically changed. New York City slowly leaves room to more suburban areas, the houses becoming larger and lower, wood replacing glass and steel, attics turning into two-storey houses with a yard and a dog the further they move away from the freeway.

He smiles at the Christmas lights hanging from the roofs and the trees, the crisp snow twinkling in a dozen different colors as they swiftly drive by, the road getting narrower and narrower. He remembers the low hill, the elbow curve to the right and then his childhood home appears in sight.

He feels giddy.

When he turns to Meredith to share his happiness with her, he finds her peacefully asleep. She's conked out, still a little pouting at him.

He parks in the driveway, memories of doing that a thousand times swarming back; yet, right in this moment, everything feels different. They're the first ones who got there, the rest of his sisters coming only later that afternoon. Work keeps them all busy, but Derek negotiated a couple more days of break with Richard, arguing that they didn't even have a proper honeymoon. He worked perfectly the soft spot that Richard has for Meredith, and here they are. Of course he's still thinking about ways to design the instrument Nicholas Jacobson needs to stop his nose bleeds, but right here and there, he can just bask in the feeling of being home. With Meredith.

He watches Meredith sleep for a minute longer, her nose scrunching up as she shifts in the seat, her head falling softly against the glass. She looks ethereal. His heart is bursting with love for the woman next to him.

He feels like a thief when he touches her upper arm to wake her up.

"Hey," he grins, gently rubbing her shoulder with his thumb.

"Hey," she croaks back, her eyes still glassy. "Sorry…"

"We're here. I had to wake you up."

At his words, Meredith springs up on her seat, her eyes widening. "Oh my God, now I look like a hobo. Why did you let me sleep?"

"Because we worked so much this past week I barely saw you and we took a red eye to be here in the morning?"

"That was a rhetorical question, Derek!" The pitch of her voice is a little higher, her eyes a little wider. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous," he replies without hesitation. He only wins a smack on his chest, as Meredith zips up her coat and tightens a scarf around her neck, before venturing out in the cold.

He does the same, relishing the crunch of the snow under his shoes, the smell of winter and firs filling his soul as he closes his eyes for a second. He missed this.

"_That_ is your house?"

He turns to look towards a disbelieved Meredith, her eyes now wide for an entirely different reason. She has a right to be taken aback, though. While his parents weren't the richest people on the planet, they did invest everything in their house and added to it whenever they had the means. First it was a couple more rooms in the back when Amelia was born and Mark started to become a regular guest, then it was the additional room upstairs and the renovation of the attic, and, at last, the porch. After Dad's death the house remained practically the same.

He missed everything about this house.

"We're home." He has no idea why, but he can almost feel tears coming to his eyes as he watches Meredith walk up his driveway. He still can't believe he convinced her to come, especially since he didn't even have to call post-it on her.

She lingers out on the porch, taking in the bare outdoor chairs and the humid table, the bright gleam of the snow making her eyes look even grayer. He can't look away from her as he knocks on the front door.

"I don't have to remember all your nieces and nephews names, right?" Meredith asks, finally voicing the panic that has been building up from the moment they checked in back at the airport in Seattle.

"You can't remember them all right away, but you'll learn, I promise." He grins, because now they are their nieces and nephews, not just his anymore. He's sharing his family with her too, not just his life. "Breathe."

Meredith sends him a look of panic before the door opens and his mother is standing there with the widest smile on her face and the most beautiful twinkle in her eyes.

"Derek!" she almost squeals, pulling him in a hug that practically cuts off his oxygen supply. "I'm so glad you're spending the holidays here, sweetheart." She whispers in his ear, giving him another squeeze.

Before he can reply, his mother has already moved onto Meredith and wrapped her arms around his wife with the same loving choke. Meredith is both surprised and freaked by the display of affection. He can't help but grin.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" his mother asks Meredith, fully welcoming her in the family. "You still haven't killed my son, I see."

Meredith lets out a nervous chuckle, blushing in the most adorable way, still speechless. He wants to kiss her, but it has to wait.

"Come on in, don't freeze your toes in the cold," she ushers them in, closing the door behind their backs.

Derek feels like he's in a time machine, because everything is exactly as he remembers, only a couple more childrens' artworks filling the entryway. The photos are there, his dinosaur drawing is still there, next to Amelia's unicorn, just like their smiling faces. Christmas knickknacks litter every free surface, and the smell of cookies comes from the kitchen.

This is home.

"How was the flight?" his mother asks to the both of them, hanging up their coats as they leave their luggage in the entryway.

"Better than we expected, for being Christmas Eve."

Mom is looking at him strangely, studying his every feature, almost as if she's taking him in for the first time.

"You look good, Derek. You look happy," she grins. "You both do. Seattle is treating you well."

Derek just kisses her again, grateful that they can share this Christmas together, then moves to put his hand on the small of Meredith's back and guides her to the kitchen, following his mother.

"I still have to finish up a couple of things here, unfortunately food doesn't cook itself, and I wanted to make something ahead of time, so that tomorrow I can spend more time with all of you." His mother's grin is wide as she picks up a wooden spoon and resumes her work. "I can't believe all my children are going to be under the same roof this year."

Derek sighs. "I'm sorry I stopped visiting when I moved to Seattle."

"Oh, don't grovel, I know you're busy. That's why I only trust the grandkids to be here. It won't be long before the oldest decide they have better things to do, so I'm soaking up their presence now."

Derek laughs with his mother, sharing a look with Meredith, who still looks nervous. Derek hears a squeal coming from the playroom -or at least he supposes it's from the playroom- and he cracks a smile.

"Whose children are here already? Let me guess, Lizzie's?" he asks playfully, grinning at his mother. Lizzie's kids are the youngest, and Lizzie is the one that lives closest to Mom, there's a chance the ones making a ruckus while playing are her kids.

His mother looks at him seriously before she shakes her head and takes a deep breath. "You remember that I still volunteer at Mount Sinai's free clinic like I did when you worked there, right?"

"I do. You spare interns a lot of tampon explanations." He locks eyes with Meredith, and they share a silent laugh. Still, his mother looks very worried.

"Well, there was this mother with this adorable little girl, six months old or so, she has a mild form of spina bifida. Basically they operated on her and the mom took off."

"What?" Derek's eyes widen in disbelief at the sad story. "Did they botch the surgery? Who performed it?"

She sighs knowingly, pausing the cooking. "They did not. Dr. Beckwell did the surgery, your mentor."

"Then why did she leave?"

"It was too much for her. Plus, we later discovered that her boyfriend, not the baby girl's father, was beating her on a daily basis. Her father is not even listed in her birth certificate."

"What is going to happen to her?"

His mother takes another deep breath. "She lives here now. I applied to be a foster parent and I have her until January, then we'll see if the court has found a family for her or I'll get her for a little while more."

"What?" Derek widens his eyes, sharing a look with Meredith, trying to see if he might have misheard what his mother said, but Meredith looks equally stunned, though she has a soft smile on her lips.

His mother chortles, a smirk on her face. "I missed having a baby around the house, all my grandkids are big enough to be in school already…"

"Is that a hint?"

Carolyn laughs loudly now, while Meredith pales. Derek stares at his mother with disbelief.

"Come on, I'll let you meet Zola," she says with excitement, shaking her head in amusement at Derek's question.

Derek remains rooted on the spot, trying to process his mother's words, still until he feels Meredith's hand on his arm.

"Hey, you okay?" she asks softly, for the first time during the day reverting the roles, and he can only gulp back.

"My mother...Wow."

Meredith smiles. "She's a good mom, she raised you well, that little girl deserves a good mom."

Derek nods, still confused. "But she's my Mom."

"Are you jealous?" Meredith giggles, shoving him a little. It's the little touch that snaps him out of the funk, and makes his feet move.

"No, it's just strange," he admits, sighing. "That's good for us, though."

"Why?"

"She'll hold off on asking for more grandchildren."

Meredith gulps, stopping for a second, her turn to freak out again. "Derek…" she says, her voice shaking.

"We'll dodge that question, we don't need to talk about that now. We can wait."

Meredith doesn't seem really reassured by his words, though she moves again with him towards the playroom, and he knows she's still processing everything. He feels a little scared himself by the mere idea of having a child, but he's surely more ready than his wife. Children are scary.

When they reach his old playroom, he notices that the space looks practically the same, only the toys have changed and upgraded, and he's relieved to see that there are more trucks and footballs here compared to when he used to play there.

There's only one baby in the carpeted room, playing alone and shrieking loudly.

"This is Zola," his mother announces proudly, her eyes softening when they rest on the little girl.

Derek's heart skips a beat at the sight of the little girl. Zola is hammering some soft blocks on the carpet, her chocolate eyes sparkling with mischief, her hair tied in the littlest puffs on top of her head. Her chubby rolls make her good enough to be eaten with kisses.

When the baby turns towards them and lets out a loud squeal, Derek is hooked, mesmerized by the child. He needs to know more about Zola, he needs to see her from a closer distance.

"Can I…?"

"Do whatever you want, though she's shy around new people, especially men. She doesn't have the best track record of good male role models in her life."

Derek nods, not repressing the urge to sit down next to Zola. Both women stare at him curiously, but he doesn't care. Zola's delicious frown is worth all the puzzled stares.

"That's my baby boy, Zola," Carolyn announces, making Derek laugh. Zola's eyebrows knit in confusion.

"I don't look much like a baby, right?" he says, using the voice he would use with one of his nieces. "These look like fine blocks to me, are you having fun?"

Zola frowns, hiding into her shoulders, only to burst into tears when he reaches for a block to hand it to her. She crawls her way towards Carolyn, who picks her up and rubs her back for a moment.

"I promise he's a good man, you don't have to be scared," Carolyn mumbles near Zola's hear, before kissing her cheek. "What about Meredith? Don't tell me you're scared of Meredith too, uh?"

Zola studies the woman standing next to her foster mother, her eyes scrutinizing, vigilant, careful, until she breaks out in a smile and offers her block to Meredith with a flick of her wrist. Derek smiles at the gesture.

Meredith laughs with delight, accepting the block with a sincere thank you. "See, she likes me better."

Meredith sticks his tongue out at him, and Zola does the same, much to everybody's delight. Zola joins in the laughter, affected by the joy surrounding her.

"She's ten months old now, I took her with me in September. It's been quite the ride," Carolyn explains, though it's implied in her words that it hasn't always been easy. Worth it, but not easy.

"How's her spina bifida affecting her?" Derek asks, unable not to.

"So far she seems to be practically on track with every baby her age, but I don't want to be too optimistic."

"What about -"

"Derek, it's Christmas break, put work aside for a moment," his mother says playfully, bouncing Zola a little in her arms. "Here, let's try again. Come and hold the baby."

"But -"

"Hold the baby."

When the baby shifts from his mother's arms to his own, something in his life shifts too. He knows right here and there that he can't let this little girl go. He's not one for rash decisions, but he knew when he first saw Meredith that she would change his life, and now it's happening the same thing. He can see things he never even imagined as he feels the weight of Zola in his arms.

He locks eyes with the baby girl as they study one another. She touches his stubble and his nose, puffs his hair, almost pokes out one of his eyes, then she finally giggles. He feels her body relax considerably as her chubby legs kick against his side and she squeals in delight.

"You're quite the charmer, here."

Zola just giggles at him. Her grin is so wide, her eyes so sparkly he feels rejuvenated. The troubles with Nicholas still swirling in his head are gone for the moment, the sadness for his condition slipping away as the little girl keeps studying his face, now pensive. She seems pretty attracted by the beard he was supposed to shave off before leaving but that it's still growing. Her grin becomes a perplexed frown.

"Should I shave it off?" Derek asks, tickling her round belly. Zola tries to wriggle away from his fingers.

"Baaaah!"

"Sounds like a yes to me. I think so too, or my wife will stop kissing me, and we don't want that, uh?" He sends a look to Meredith who is blushing and rolling her eyes at him at the same time. He's now a pile of gooey feelings.

"Zola, you know how to kiss people, give Derek a kiss," Carolyn prompts her, an amused smile on her face.

Zola frowns again.

"I'm gonna help you out," Derek says, smirking before he stamps a kiss on her cheek.

She shrieks, her hands flailing very close to his jaw.

"Go ahead, he just looks scary, he doesn't bite…" Carolyn encourages her again, to which Zola gives in.

Her kiss is open-mouthed, wet and drooly, but Derek wouldn't have it any other way. His life feels aligned.

"Aw, this was a good kiss, Lovebug!" his mother chimes, her eyes filled with something he can't really understand.

"What about Meredith, do you want to kiss Meredith? She's a lot prettier than I am," Derek grins, walking closer to his wife, slightly holding out the baby for her to hold. "Here."

"What?" Her eyes widen.

"Hold her."

"Are you serious?"

His way to reply to that is practically placing Zola in her arms, helping Meredith to get a secure hold on the baby before he lets go.

He feels like his heart could burst when he watches Zola study Meredith from her arms, and Meredith doing the same. He swears they fit perfectly like this, and the desire to see Meredith hold their own kids like this burns in the pit of his stomach. They haven't been married long, but he has wanted children forever, and he's not getting any younger. He lied to her: right in this moment, he can't wait to see what their kids will look like.

"Hi," his wife whispers, and Zola coos something at her, poking her cheeks and grasping at her sweater with her little chubby fingers.

If it were for him, Meredith and Zola would stay attached for the entire length of their stay at his mother's house. This is the imagine he'd pick if he was asked to define perfection. This.

"She's a natural," his mother comments to him in a whisper, winking. Yep, she definitely wants more grandchildren.

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Christmas lunch turns out to be as chaotic as he remembered it to be, only this time he has Meredith to turn onto when things become too overwhelming.

Slowly, really slowly, she started to fit in the family as the sisters got there one by one. The first ones to welcome her with arms wide were the kids, who immediately warmed up to Aunt Meredith, younger and older children alike. Meredith tried her best to remember everybody's names, and even if she didn't believe it, by Christmas morning and the opening of every gift, she knew practically all of them.

He sat beside her on the couch, everybody still in their pajamas, the kids scattered on the floor, ripping open presents as the adults watched carefully, sipping their coffees.

This year Derek barely cared about the presents, he felt like the best present of them all was Meredith, now his wife, though his heart felt pretty full as well while he looked at Zola, playing with the wrapping paper of her new stuffed giraffe in his lap.

He turned to look at Meredith, who was now holding Zola's giraffe and talking with Lizzie, and she seemed born to be there, right in that moment. He replied to something Nancy asked him, but he was too distracted by Zola's smile to hear what Kathleen replied to him.

Amelia passed along the tray with the refill for coffee and a plate of scones, and he passed it around to Meredith, who eagerly grabbed a scone and continued the ritual, her eyes sparkling with the lights of the tree.

At lunch things are the same, with Meredith and Zola being the only people he can't stop staring at, and he sees a knowing smirk on his mother's lips when he decides to be the one who will sit next to Zola and help her out with the food.

He grins at the stories that are passed along, Meredith involved in the teasing when she tells the family a couple of embarrassing moments that happened in the past year, though he doesn't mind it. Well, he does hide his blushing face from view by feeding Zola her green beans, but he finds a way to get back at her and his sisters with his own share of stories.

Christmas Day has never been this perfect, and now he finally understands what has been missing all along.

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**Well, this is part 1! I hope it was enough to fill the lack of MerDer Christmas stories for this year. It was not the best, but at least it was something.**

**I will try to update before the holidays end, so 6****th**** of January tops.**

**Merry Christmas readers, from the bottom of my heart. I wish you can spend a day full of joy, laughter and good food. Especially good food. **

**Thank you for stopping by!**

**Irene**


	2. Part 2

**The long awaited Part 2 is here! I know I said you could wait until the 6th of January, but I never expected to cut it so close to the deadline. And I'm still not satisfied with this silly little story. **

**Today is the day that marks the end of the Christmas holiday season in Italy with the coming of the _Befana_, basically an old lady who brings sweets and chocolate to all the kids in stockings. Also, if you're familiar with the _Reyes Magos_ tradition from Spanish-speaking countries, basically the _Befana_ is similar. Still, she brings more chocolate, everybody should embrace this tradition.  
**

**Okay, without further ado,part 2 from Meredith's POV. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Part 2**

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They've been talking for a while in the cozy living room after lunch, the tree twinkling merrily, Zola playing on the carpet, oblivious to the chatter of the adults, or maybe too focused on her blocks to be bothered by the easy laughter and the gleeful tales of the past few years.

Meredith moves her eyes from one speaker to the other, studying Lizzie and Amelia tease Derek, while Nancy and Kathleen sip their eggnog, the husbands watching a football game with the older boys. Derek looks delighted with the swarm of little girls coming and going, asking for something silly, or begging him to have a tea party with them. This is his element.

She sighs, imagining Christmas in a few years. She's not sure she's ready for a baby yet, but she knows that when the time comes, when she will not break into a cold sweat at the mere idea, he will be the most amazing father.

"Uncle Dewek!" Noah, Lizzie's youngest, comes barreling down from the playroom, his smile wide and mischievous. "You gotsa come watch the game!"

Derek grins. "I want to spend time with my Mommy, Noah-boa."

Noah frowns. "But, -"

"Tell your daddy to stop bugging me. And no, I'm not turning into a girl, either." Derek smirks, anticipating the teasing comment his brother-in-law would surely drop.

"You no look like a girl." Noah frowns, and Meredith smirks at the seriousness in his look.

"Exactly!" Derek laughs, tickling Noah, who squeals loudly. "Tell your father that."

"Okay-dokey!" Noah grins, hopping back to the playroom.

"It seems to me that you are turning into a girl," Amelia quips, and Derek sends her a playful glare.

Meredith misses the quirky reply because she suddenly feels a hand grabbing at her knee and squeezing gently. She looks down and sees Zola standing up beside her, her eyes wide and curious as she holds onto her and the armrest.

She smiles, whispering a low "Hi" to the little girl. Zola grins, bouncing on her legs, and almost falling on her bottom. Meredith reaches out to steady her.

She keeps her attention on the little girl, ignoring for a beat more the conversation happening around her, afraid that Zola would somehow get hurt if she falls down. The girl has a determined look on her face, she grunts and shifts and pulls up one of her legs, bending it slightly, reaching even higher, holding onto her even tighter.

"Do you want to sit on the couch and chat with us?" Meredith asks, still smiling. Zola reaches for her with a hand, swaying precariously. "Alright, Zo."

Meredith smiles as she picks up Zola and lifts her on the couch, only Zola shrieks when she's about to be put on the cushion. Meredith remains with the little girl swaying mid-air, her eyes wide, Zola wriggling happily in her hold now.

They have quite a long staring contest, until Meredith gives in and sits the girl in her lap. Zola giggles, clearly having achieved her final goal. She also has no intention of letting go of Meredith, she relaxes in her arms instead.

Meredith tickles her a little, winning a giggle in return, and then another when she repeats the gesture. Zola is so happy she almost falls backwards in mirth. Meredith is quick to steady her, practically bringing her against her chest, allowing her laughter to subside quietly.

"You're a silly girl," Meredith grins, rubbing Zola's back as the girl rests her cheek over her breast and wraps her little hand around her hoodie at her side. Meredith lets her be, the warm weight of Zola against her comforting and strangely familiar. Of course she stiffened a little at first, taken aback by the amount of trust Zola put in her, but the more the baby leans against her, the more it feels right.

When she looks up towards Derek, he's almost in tears. He's smiling so widely his cheeks must hurt, she's sure. She sends him a questioning look and he just shakes his head, chuckling. Everybody is looking at them then, and she blushes. The safest option is turning back her attention to Zola.

Zola is now looking up at her, and playing with the zip in the front of her hoodie, enthralled. She's quiet now, and it doesn't take long for her to fall asleep, especially from the moment Meredith starts rubbing her back in slow, rhythmical circles.

Meredith smiles when Derek moves from his armchair next to his mother to the empty seat beside her on the couch, and she's even happier when he wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer, leaving a quick kiss on her temple.

"I'm a little jealous of you," he whispers in her ear, his grin so wide it melts her, his hand going to rest on Zola's back.

"Wanna hold her?"

"No, you two look cozy together." He caresses Zola's cheek, who buries her nose even deeper into Meredith's sweater, and scrunches up her nose. "God, she's cute."

"She is," Meredith replies breezily, resting her head on his shoulder as she keeps looking at him. "Ours are going to be just as cute."

When she says that, Derek's eyes turn glassy and a disbelieved smile blossoms on his lips. He just kisses her, because she knows he has no words to express what he's feeling. She has a hard time explaining the lump in her throat as well. He kisses her and pulls the two of them closer to his side, under his arm, protecting them.

This feels right.

"She could be our little girl," he says, his eyes still glimmering, his whole body humming with happiness and expectations.

Meredith frowns for a beat, studying his expression. He's serious when he says that. Very serious.

"We want to start a family, and she needs one. My mother can't keep her forever, and who knows where she'll end up when they throw her back in the system. Let's adopt her."

"Derek, -"

"Think about it, okay? I know it's big, just think about it."

Meredith nods, still a little disbelieved as she tries to follow the conversation happening in the room once again. The women seem oblivious to what they have just discussed, and she's grateful. Her head is a mess enough as it is, she doesn't want other people knowing how much she's freaking out.

Because she is, freaking out.

She could become Zola's mother. Will they even consider her a suitable parent? Only, Derek's expression is almost worth all the fear. She still has a billion issues to work through, but wouldn't she be happy if she ended up pregnant with a surprise baby? Zola can be their surprise baby. A baby she doesn't even have to suffer through labor for. Zola wins a lot of points in her book.

Zola, almost sensing her troubles, shifts in her arms, snuggling up a little higher, her head now resting practically in the crook of Meredith's neck, her breaths warm and comforting. She could have this every night when she comes home. Every single night.

"I'll think about it."

Derek kisses her temple once again, and he's smiling once more. He rebutts something at Amelia, Meredith totally missing the context of the whole conversation, only that Derek starts laughing and she feels so safe right in this moment that the whole trip was worth it, if only for this moment.

Maybe being this little girl's mother is not as crazy as she thought it could be.

* * *

_**Two years later**_

* * *

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

Meredith lets out an amused breath as she watches Zola barrel towards her clutching a stethoscope and a stuffed bear. Her festive sweater makes her fit in perfectly with the rest of her cousins, and the more Meredith looks at her, the more she can't believe they're here for the third year in a row.

Planes have crashed, family members have died -heck, Meredith herself almost died-, friends have left them, and yet, Christmas at the Shepherd is a constant. There's still the same magic in the air of the very first time.

"We gotsa sturgeon Emma's bear!" Zola yells as she brushes the branches of the Christmas tree, almost knocking over a couple of ornaments; Carolyn doesn't seem overly concerned.

"What happened to her bear?" Meredith asks seriously, watching Zola move closer and closer.

"His belly hurts lots and lots, and his head feels funny."

"Aw, so we need to wait for Daddy, too." Meredith grins.

"Hey, I'm pretty good at fixing heads," Amelia interjects from her spot on the other side of the room, watching the interaction, amused. The rest of the sisters are sitting in an haphazard circle as well, and they all have smiles on their faces.

"But my daddy is the bestests!"

They all laugh at Zola's antics, and almost as if he heard Zola mentioning his name, Derek shows up in the room, their six-month-old son in his arms, his sleepy eyes still not quite fully awake as he rests his little blonde head on his father's shoulder.

"He sounded hungry when I picked him up," Derek says, grinning broadly as he sits next to Meredith on the couch and studies her and Zola together.

Meredith reaches out for her son, then kisses his cheek. "Don't worry, Bailey, Mama has got you," she whispers, before offering him her nipple.

The boy suckles happily, oblivious to the rest of the large family chatting around him and cooing nonsense. Meredith is pretty sure he doesn't care much about anything beyond her breasts and her hand on his back now.

"Momma, what 'bout Bear?"

"What if you ask Daddy for a thorough diagnosis and then I'll schedule his surgery?" Meredith grins, watching as Zola thinks about her proposition with a serious expression on her face.

"Daddy," Zola starts rambling all about the bear's symptoms, much to Derek's amusement. She's clearly the child of two surgeons, there's no doubt about it. The rest of the family seems impressed too, tough not really surprised.

Meredith watches her daughter grin as Derek plays with her, and studies them together. It never gets old, really. It always feels like a miracle having her there, even after all the custody battles they had to fight to adopt her, or the battles with her health and her shunt, Zola is thriving. She's a bright three-year-old, she makes friends easily, she's a delight to the family and she loves her little brother so much Meredith is pretty sure her heart might implode every time she watches the two of them together.

She might not have been the one to make Zola or give birth to her, but she definitely fits better than any other child could. She's perfect for their family, and she made Meredith feel a lot less overwhelmed when the stick turned blue just a few months after they had gotten the papers for a more permanent adoption.

Surely, the adoption wasn't an easy process, especially since she had gotten really attached to Carolyn in the few months they had spent together and it was hard to bring her back to Seattle all alone at first, but they were able to ease her into their lives, and she made them complete. They had to work harder to keep their marriage going and not to have the romance fizzle out, especially when both her and Bailey demand their constant attention, but now things are settling into a routine, and it's a pretty good routine.

There are nights, still today, when Meredith comes home and sees her family waiting for her on the couch, that she doesn't believe this can be her life. She watches Bailey and feeds him and hopes he will grow into a fine man, and she can't believe she and Derek made him. She watches Zola and all the great things she does and the accomplishments she achieves, and she can't believe Derek even suggested adopting her in the first place.

And yet, she wouldn't change a thing if she went back.

She leans against Derek's shoulder now that he only requires a hand to surgeon the bear, and he wraps his arm around her and Bailey as he laughs with Zola. She listens to them interact and squeezes her hold on his arm.

When he turns to look at her with his full-on McDreamy smile, she knows Christmas will always be her favorite holiday. They did get a pretty great Christmas miracle the very first time they came together to this house, and Meredith had no intention of missing another Shepherd Christmas in here, until something really big kept them from flying back. She can't help but love Christmas to bits when she remembers about that very first night.

She's sure that no matter where they are or how she found them, as long as she can look at her family and see their smiles, the Christmas magic will never fade from her life.

* * *

**I know it was a long time coming, but I hope it was worth the wait. Maybe next year I can do even better!**

**Thank you for reading and loving this story!**

**-Irene**


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